quietforce
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2009
- Messages
- 28
Hi everyone,
Thanks everyone so much for your advice the last couple of days - I know I will be so much more confident in my decision thanks to PS. I need to select a diamond by this weekend in order to get my ring made in time for a holiday proposal to my GF
I'm going to the diamond guy tomorrow - he is a wholesaler in NYC diamond district, I have met with him already and seen these stones which are all ridiculously gorgeous to my untrained eye.
I've learned a little bit more about the diamonds I've been looking at. Everything I know, including what I've learned so far from the great people here on the forum, is summarized below. Sorry for the long post, but hoping anyone with an opinion will jump in and give me additional data points to work with.
These are the three stones I am considering (all are no fl, no culet):
Stone 1
$7400
1.05, G, VS1
Cut Exc
Polish VG
Symmetry VG
HCA Score .9
Depth 60.4
Table 58
Crown angle 32.5
Pavilion angle 41.0
Measurements 6.57 x 6.62 x 3.98
GIA cert 1106181467
I've used the AGS cut grade estimator and it gives the stone a 1B grade, mostly penalizing it for the shallow crown angle (which in and of itself gets a 2A rating).
What people on this forum have said:
This seems like a very nice stone with great spread, but is likely to show more brightness at the expense of fire.
My main question:
I really like the spread and visual size of this stone for the price, but do you think I will be giving up a lot of noticeable liveliness and sparkle? Should I be concerned about the shallow angle, and when I go to look at them in person tomorrow is there anything in particular I should be looking for in comparison to the below stones?
Stone 2
$7200
1.03, G, VS1
Cut Exc
Polish VG
Symmetry Exc
HCA Score 1.5
Depth 62.9
Table 54
Crown angle 34.5
Pavilion angle 40.6
Measurements 6.40 x 6.45 x 4.04
GIA cert 5106196611
I've used the AGS cut grade estimator and it gives the stone a 1A grade, only penalizing it to the 1B area in one or two areas.
What people on this forum have said:
This seems like the safest bet by the numbers, but it may have some obstruction issues or some dark spots in the center because it seems a little deep.
My main question:
Is this really the safest bet? Should I just buy it and be done with the process?
Stone 3
$7000
1.0, G, VS1
Cut VG
Polish Exc
Symmetry Exc
HCA Score 1.0
Depth 61.9
Table 55
Crown angle 34.0
Pavilion angle 40.8
Measurements 6.39 x 6.43 x 3.97
GIA cert 17263256 (comments are: Additional clouds are not shown; Surface graining is not shown)
I've used the AGS cut grade estimator and it gives the stone a straight 1A grade on every single area!!
What people on this forum have said:
This seems like either a fantastic stone or a problem stone. It should be an EXC rating by GIA standards, so the VG rating combined with the exact 1.0 carat makes people think maybe it has some brillianteering. Of course, that brought up the whole painting and digging thing (which I have learned more about in the last 36 hours than I ever thought I would or could!!). It might be a fantastic stone with artful painting to enhance performance. Or it might just be hiding weight.
My main question:
Do I buy it in hopes of scoring the best in the bunch for the cheapest price (even though at $400 difference, I care less about price than getting the right stone), or am I taking too big a risk ? Is there something I can look for under the loop tomorrow?
Overall question 1: Do these seem like good prices?
Overall question 2: I have found 2 of these 3 stones listed online for $500 - $750 less, as part of my research (by GIA report number). Is it bad form to mention this to the diamond seller and ask for him to meet me somewhere in the middle (I recognize that his help and time and the ability to view the diamond in person are worth something)?
Overall question 3: I might just have time to buy one of these and take it to an appraiser to get some tests done (Idealscope, etc) and then swap if I am unhappy. Is it worth the effort, or am I sweating the small stuff on what are essentially three great stones neither I nor my GF will ever notice the difference on?
Thank you all so much for being such an amazing source of excellent information and opinion!
Thanks everyone so much for your advice the last couple of days - I know I will be so much more confident in my decision thanks to PS. I need to select a diamond by this weekend in order to get my ring made in time for a holiday proposal to my GF
I've learned a little bit more about the diamonds I've been looking at. Everything I know, including what I've learned so far from the great people here on the forum, is summarized below. Sorry for the long post, but hoping anyone with an opinion will jump in and give me additional data points to work with.
These are the three stones I am considering (all are no fl, no culet):
Stone 1
$7400
1.05, G, VS1
Cut Exc
Polish VG
Symmetry VG
HCA Score .9
Depth 60.4
Table 58
Crown angle 32.5
Pavilion angle 41.0
Measurements 6.57 x 6.62 x 3.98
GIA cert 1106181467
I've used the AGS cut grade estimator and it gives the stone a 1B grade, mostly penalizing it for the shallow crown angle (which in and of itself gets a 2A rating).
What people on this forum have said:
This seems like a very nice stone with great spread, but is likely to show more brightness at the expense of fire.
My main question:
I really like the spread and visual size of this stone for the price, but do you think I will be giving up a lot of noticeable liveliness and sparkle? Should I be concerned about the shallow angle, and when I go to look at them in person tomorrow is there anything in particular I should be looking for in comparison to the below stones?
Stone 2
$7200
1.03, G, VS1
Cut Exc
Polish VG
Symmetry Exc
HCA Score 1.5
Depth 62.9
Table 54
Crown angle 34.5
Pavilion angle 40.6
Measurements 6.40 x 6.45 x 4.04
GIA cert 5106196611
I've used the AGS cut grade estimator and it gives the stone a 1A grade, only penalizing it to the 1B area in one or two areas.
What people on this forum have said:
This seems like the safest bet by the numbers, but it may have some obstruction issues or some dark spots in the center because it seems a little deep.
My main question:
Is this really the safest bet? Should I just buy it and be done with the process?
Stone 3
$7000
1.0, G, VS1
Cut VG
Polish Exc
Symmetry Exc
HCA Score 1.0
Depth 61.9
Table 55
Crown angle 34.0
Pavilion angle 40.8
Measurements 6.39 x 6.43 x 3.97
GIA cert 17263256 (comments are: Additional clouds are not shown; Surface graining is not shown)
I've used the AGS cut grade estimator and it gives the stone a straight 1A grade on every single area!!
What people on this forum have said:
This seems like either a fantastic stone or a problem stone. It should be an EXC rating by GIA standards, so the VG rating combined with the exact 1.0 carat makes people think maybe it has some brillianteering. Of course, that brought up the whole painting and digging thing (which I have learned more about in the last 36 hours than I ever thought I would or could!!). It might be a fantastic stone with artful painting to enhance performance. Or it might just be hiding weight.
My main question:
Do I buy it in hopes of scoring the best in the bunch for the cheapest price (even though at $400 difference, I care less about price than getting the right stone), or am I taking too big a risk ? Is there something I can look for under the loop tomorrow?
Overall question 1: Do these seem like good prices?
Overall question 2: I have found 2 of these 3 stones listed online for $500 - $750 less, as part of my research (by GIA report number). Is it bad form to mention this to the diamond seller and ask for him to meet me somewhere in the middle (I recognize that his help and time and the ability to view the diamond in person are worth something)?
Overall question 3: I might just have time to buy one of these and take it to an appraiser to get some tests done (Idealscope, etc) and then swap if I am unhappy. Is it worth the effort, or am I sweating the small stuff on what are essentially three great stones neither I nor my GF will ever notice the difference on?
Thank you all so much for being such an amazing source of excellent information and opinion!